Why horses slobber

Spring and fall provide cool, wet conditions that favor the proliferation of clovers in pastures. The cooler wet conditions are also ideal for the growth of the fungus Rhizoctonia leguminicola , commonly known as black patch. The fungus infects red clover Trifolium pratense , white clover Trifolium repens , alsike clover Trifolium hybridum and alfalfa Medicago sativa. The fungus produces the mycotoxin slaframine which causes the slobbers. It can be present on both pasture and in stored dry hay.

The fungus persists on infected fields from year to year. Slaframine will persist in stored hay for 10 months or more; though its biological activity decreases. Fresh hay can contain the equivalent of ppm slaframine, which can decrease after 10 months by fold to 7 ppm.

Concentrations above 10 ppm may be associated with clinical signs slobbers. The most common clinical signs observed in horses include: excess salivation, lacrimation, colic and diarrhea. To find out, first do a quick check of his face or head for signs of nerve damage. Is one ear or eyelid drooping? Does he react to a menace test by blinking when you move a finger toward his eye?

Can he easily take a treat from your palm and chew it? Next, carefully check his mouth and teeth. Can you see any foreign objects or broken teeth? Take a quick sniff of his breath: An infection that would lead to drooling will give off a bad odor. Click here to learn more about anemia in horses. Take a look at his nose. Is any saliva coming out of his nostrils? If so, he may have an esophageal obstruction choke.

Finally, check your horse for signs of systemic illness. Does he have a fever? Is he lethargic or oblivious to his environment? If your horse otherwise seems normal, he may have ingested something that caused him to drool. One common culprit is slaframine, a soaplike chemical produced by the plant fungus Rhizoctonia leguminicola, which commonly infests clover. A horse who ingests the fungus usually slobbers as he eats and when he's standing still.

You're likely to notice a puddle forming at his feet as he's being groomed. This harmless condition requires no treatment. It will go away in a few weeks when the fungus growth subsides. Horses will start within a few hours of eating the infected plant and will continue as long as the horse has access to the legumes with black patch. If you remove the horse from the pasture, it should start to recover within about one to two days. Most horses recover quickly without treatment as long as access to the fungus-ridden plants is restricted.

Mowing the pasture can help cut down infected plants, and they should grow back healthy. Since the growth of the black patch fungus depends on the weather, some years will be bad for slobbers, and others will see none. If you suspect that the fungus is in your hay, try to separate out sections that contain the legumes. Sometimes this is impossible. The toxicity of the fungus will decrease as the hay ages, so it may be a matter of waiting a few months before feeding the hay again.

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